Mrs.
Enright
Chapter 17 Section 1
The Emancipation Proclamation
North Demands Action
Abolitionists, like Frederick Douglass, still continued
to persuade Lincoln to emancipate slavery
Americans were pressuring their President to act and
stop the war
While more and more enslaved people were escaping
from the South, it was clear that this was an
opportunity to finally end slavery
Even with all of the North’s arguments, Lincoln was
still tentative to act
Lincoln’s Difficult Decision
Abraham Lincoln hesitated for many noble reasons
He felt that he did not have the Constitutional right or
power to completely abolish slavery from slave-holding states
Did not want to disturb the four slave border states
Mainly, though, he wanted to preserve the Union and
feared that emancipation might disrupt this
“If I could save the Union without freeing any slaves I would
do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving
others alone, I would do that also.”
Final Decision
In spite of wanted the war to end, Lincoln gave into
emancipation in the summer of 1862
However, he did not want to jump into choice right
away
He waited until the war was in the Union’s favor
That time came after General Lee surrendered at the
Battle of Antietam
The Emancipation Proclamation
•On January 1, 1863, Lincoln
issued the Emancipation
Proclamation to free all of the
current slaves
•However, this was not very
affective because it only applied to
the states that were under the
North’s control
•Lincoln only freed slaves in the
South because, commander in chief,
it could be seen as a military action
•The conflict now had a moral
purpose and become a war of
liberation
Response to the Proclamation
Abolitionists and other people in support of
emancipation were thrilled
However they were still dissatisfied that not all slaves
were freed
Northern Democrats were thoroughly angered not only
for themselves but also for the South and that it would
only prolong—or lengthen, the war
Response to the Proclamation
A newspaper carrier stated that the proclamation was
“monstrous, impudent, and heinous.”
South was enraged by the proclamation because many
of their slaves attempted to escape their plantations
Although these slaves deprived the South of power,
they went straight into the Union army
African American Soldiers
Along with freeing slaves in the Emancipation
Proclamation, it allows African Americans to fight in
the Union Army
Strengthened the union army “by a mile”
Even at the beginning of the war, Douglass felt that
joined the war should earn you full citizenship
180,000 Afro-Americans joined in total, and 166
regiments were formed
•Despite discrimination and
lower pay, African Americans
fought with loyalty and courage
in the Union army
•Some regiments wanted these
men to fight without pay
•These men wanted to abolish
slavery, earn self-respect, and
show that they were equal
•Recognized for their bravery
The 54th Massachusetts Volunteers
•One of the first African American Union regiments, and the most famous
•In July of 1863, it led a victorious attack on Fort Wagner
•The Confederate government threatened to execute or enslave any captured
African Americans
•It was very clear to both the Union and Confederacy that the war was
dramatically changing
Works Cited
"Emancipation Proclamation - Ohio History Central - A Product of the
Ohio Historical Society." Ohio History Central - An Online Encyclopedia of
Ohio History - Ohio Historical Society. Web. 27 Sept. 2010.
<http://ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=1492>.
Our Family Tree, Consisting, At, Present, of 166 Generations. Web. 27 Sept.
2010. <http://mariah.stonemarche.org/livhis/glory.htm>.
Slackman, By Michael. "Wednesday Open Thread." Jack & Jill Politics. Web.
27 Sept. 2010. <http://www.jackandjillpolitics.com/2009/11/wednesday-openthread-67/>.
Questions?